A former confidant of the Jordanian court has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for threatening the monarchy according to Jordan. Bassem Awadallah was a minister and head of King Abdullah’s court. A low-ranking member of the royal family, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, was handed the same sentence. The official charge was sedition and incitement. Both deny guilt.
The two men were arrested in April, along with Prince Hamzah, the king’s half-brother. According to Jordan, they planned to incite the population against King Abdullah, with the aim of bringing Hamzah to power. After he had publicly fined and had sworn allegiance to Abdullah, it was decided not to prosecute him.
Family issue
Hamzah is the former crown prince, who should have been given the kingship after his half-brother. However, Abdullah appointed his own son as crown prince in 2004. But Hamzah remained popular with several tribes of the Jordanian population. He criticized the Jordanian government, accusing it of incompetence and corruption. In a leaked video message after his arrest, Hamzah said he was silenced because of that criticism.
Awadallah says he was tortured in prison and pressured to make a confession. His lawyer wants to bring his case to the attention of US President Joe Biden. In addition to being a Jordanian, Awadallah is also an American and Saudi citizen. Jordan is a key US ally in the Middle East. Biden will receive King Abdullah at the White House next week.
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